Clutch shudder is apparent.
Extremely noisy engine upon cold startup and acceleration until the engine is hot. This requires the replacement of the Variable Tumble Control valve and PCM reprogramming. Mazda will not cover even though it's only 2 months out of warranty and has only 30000kms on it.
Seat fabric is starting to wear
Needed to apply rust undercoating early as signs of rust were appearing
The factory radio is unimpressive and the back-light has failed.
Extremely variable idle when cold.
The car was reasonably priced
I fit into it better than any other subcompact (I am 6'4")
The brakes are very strong
The car handles very well
It accelerates well
The A/C is cold, must better than in my previous Honda Accord.
The site lines are very good.
The 2.0 engine revs at over 3000RPM at 100km/h. Om our 1994 626 the 2.0 revved at 2600.
I've not driven many competitors, but I get more leg room in my Hyundai Accent (2002) than my Mazda Protege (1999). Try it out.
As I noted to another reviewer on this site, more RPM does not mean more engine stress. Indeed, it means less! Pushing a car 70 mph at 3500 RPM means the engine is doing less work per revolution than it would if it were running at 2500 RPM. Don't let your ears deceive you -- and Mazda really should figure out how to quiet the engine noise -- but higher revs are not bad for your engine, provided you stay below the red line.
At lower RPM you gain gas mileage at the expense of performance and engine wear. Gas prices are high in the USA right now, but for me, the performance is well worth the exchange!
Matt.
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